Boredom
by Light1
Summary: Kain is bored, Raziel is given a gift.
1. Chapter 1

**Honesty**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

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**Chapter One**

Kain would never openly admit it, but he was bored.

It had been happening more and more as of late and he suspected that this was a flaw he was going to have to live with for the foreseeable future at least.

It had been over a century since he'd raised his broad and started his conquest of Nosgoth, and while he'd been very hands on in the early years, the time had come approximately forty years ago to start actively delegating tasks to his brood. That was why they existed. Initially, the delegation had caused more work, some of his children all but wet themselves when he started giving them more responsibility, much hand-holding was required. Others had gone overboard with the sudden freedom and power, and much reining in was required. But in the last twenty years, they had all found their feet and his input was only required sporadically.

He was now contacted when his approval for a new offensive measure was required, or when someone ran into trouble, they were not expecting. Clan meetings took up some of his time, boring and frustrating affairs that they were. But overall his time was now more his own, now he found himself with time on his hands.

Wasn't this what he wanted? To rule? Or course it was, it was what they made him for; he knew this deep in his blood. But whenever he thought about ruling, he had never considered boredom, in all his musings boredom had never figured into his plans for the future. But here he was, well on his way to ruling Nosgoth, and here he was bored.

When he'd first noticed the boredom creeping in, he'd distracted himself with the construction of the sanctuary. But to a creature as long-lived as he this was over in a flash, and while the clan lords officially lived in the sanctuary with him it had quickly become apparent that if they all continued to dwell together, they would murder each other. So, the sanctuary became a base of operation, a base he was keen to keep as empty as possible, somewhere for his fledges to come home to for new instructions then leave again, quickly. He was even now encouraging his fledglings to set up their own strongholds in the areas of Nosgoth he had assigned them to concur.

All his children, save one, had leapt at the opportunity to live away from their siblings and sire. Dumah had gone north, Turel further north still, Rahab was taking the lands to the west, Melchiah the east and Zephon the south. Perhaps they'd squabble and move around later, but for now, they seemed content with their assigned portions. Kain had amused himself watching them race to see who could take the largest quantity of land, who could take the most troublesome and who would fail. It was vaguely entertaining, but even this grew old fast.

The only one who hadn't leapt at the opportunity was Raziel.

His eldest and most capable child was also the most reluctant to leave central Nosgoth. It was a little odd and earned him no end of torment from his siblings. The sanctuary wasn't a base to Raziel; it was his home, a home he only left when he had to, one he hurried back to. Where his siblings worked on taking the areas of Nosgoth he had assigned them, Raziel went where he was told and came home again. Raziel's job was to go to the towns, cities, and lands that his brothers struggled with, and assist them with the capture. He had taken over the last physical job Kain had, though it didn't seem a deliberate move, rather he inherited the task because he refused to take an area of his own. He fought to stay in central Nosgoth. Kain suspected that he would end up sharing the central area with his eldest. Central Nosgoth was Raziel's home, just as it was Kain's.

Raziel was home now.

Kain could hear him, two floors above. In his boredom, Kain had taken to wandering the lowest levels, the stores and sleeping quarters. Raziel was moving around on the highest level of the sanctuary. Kain took a moment to pause and listen, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that told him he was spying on his child and that was pathetic. He grinned, however, when he heard Raziel call for him. As usual, his eldest was trying to seek him out.

A childish, but the amusing idea struck Kain at that moment.

He'd later blame it on the boredom, perhaps he was going a little stir crazy. But he played a game of sorts with his eldest. It wasn't the first time he'd played with his eldest fledgeling, Razil was the strongest, it was natural for him to want to test the ability of the fledgeling. Test how capable Raziel was becoming. See if he could keep pace with him yet. With a small amount of concentration, Kain wrapped magic around himself and teleported. Reappearing in the central chamber of the sanctuary, he moved to the shadows and waited for Raziel to arrive.

**End Fic**

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

For information on published works and upcoming projects, release dates, as well as weekly blogs, check out www . katiemariewriter . co . uk


	2. Chapter 2

**Boredom**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

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**Chapter Two**

It took Raziel longer to arrive than Kain would have expected.

The throne room was where Kain spent most of his time. Something about the pillar's physical presence put him at ease, even ruined as they were. If Kain had been looking for Kain, the throne room would have been the first place he checked. But Raziel was not Kain and seemed to search the entire Sanctuary before eventually coming through the door and calling out.

"Kain?"

Kain smirked, squashing the tiny voice in his mind that was telling him he was acting like an utter prat. He waited until Raziel had come well into the room before emerging from behind the pillar of dimension and, after making sure Raziel had seen him, walked out of the chamber. Raziel would follow of this he was sure, but still, he kept his pace slow until he heard Raziel stumble behind him and call out again.

"Kain?"

He turned ever so slightly, making brief eye contact but saying nothing, and increased his pace. Not running, but enough to stay well ahead of his obviously curious offspring. He led Raziel out of the sanctuary, controlling his speed to maintain the same level of distance between them. Once outside he turned left and headed out towards his target. Raziel tried for a while to catch him up, but after the first hour became resigned to the fact that he would catch up only when Kain allowed it. He also learned quickly that he would get no verbal explanation or even acknowledgement from his sire. So he followed, wondering what game Kain was playing now?

Kain lead them East until he reached the boundaries of the Termagant Forest. In his youth this area had been abundant, admittedly it had been abundant in biting insects and hazards that could ruin a vampire's day, but it was abundant never the less. These days the swamp had long since dried, the trees were dying, those that remained were hardy and bare. Kain couldn't decide if this was an improvement or not, it made traversing the area a hell of a lot easier than it had been in his fledgeling days, but it was sad to see something so irritatingly alive dying.

Regardless of the condition of the surrounding area, he pressed on, slowing his pace slightly to allow Raziel to keep him in his line of sight. Raziel was a formidable fighter and an inventive problem solver when he chooses to be, but an expert tracker he was not. He never thought to use any of his senses that were not his eyes. So Kain kept the pace relatively easy and maintained his more human form. If he were not leading his fledgeling, he would have flown here, cutting the journey time down considerably.

He could hear Raziel following, grumbling to himself as his clothes caught on unforgiving branches, or when he turned an ankle after stepping on the brittle ground that proved treacherous. Kain made a note to bring Raziel out here again at some point. If the fledgeling was having so much trouble navigating a dried-out swamp, then he needed practice. A strange thought of taking his wolf form and terrorising his eldest as he tried to traverse the land made him smile. He contained his desire, however; it would not be productive to the lesson he had taught with this game, and Raziel was considerably poor in this landscape that it would require practice before Kain introduced another hazard, especially one as effective as himself.

Kain reached the mansion after a slow hour of progress through the dried swamp. He was relieved when he reached the old ruin, mostly because it meant he wouldn't have to keep listening to Raziel grumble behind him. He waited outside the ruin for Raziel to catch up. He did so, arriving panting next to his sire.

"You've got… a reason… for this location?" Raziel managed, swallowing to wet his mouth several times. Kain said nothing. Instead, he offers his eldest an enigmatic smirk and a pat on the shoulder before dissipating into mist and entering the mansion through a ruined doorway.

**End Chapter Two**

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

For information on published works and upcoming projects, release dates, as well as weekly blogs, check out www . katiemariewriter . co . uk

ac


	3. Chapter 3

**Boredom**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

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**Chapter Three**

Raziel followed Kain through the mansion, or rather the ruins of the mansion. The building had been a grand affair previously but was now a husk, with only moulding fragments of the carpet remaining, torn paintings on the walls, broken statues littering the hallways and shreds of wallpaper that had once been an opulent red and gold but was now torn and water damaged.

The place was a silent ruin.

Kain was quiet as they walked, leading Raziel through a maze of corridors and destroyed rooms, eventually stopping at a doorway. Raziel watched as Kain tried to shoulder the door open, failed, tried again and failed. An irritated and brutal kick shattered the brittle wood when Kain's patience ran out. Raziel followed his father, stepping over the wreckage into the room.

The room was a small bedroom, like the rest of the mansion his place had been torn asunder and exposed to the elements, the remains of furniture littered the floor, pieces of a large bed frame sat in the centre. Why would Kain bring him here?

"This was the room given to me by Vorador," Kain said eventually.

"This was your room?" Raziel said, if possible curious than he had been moments ago. Was Kain feeling nostalgic to bring him here? Kain rarely spoke about his past and when he did, it was often only about certain windows of time in his life, the destruction of the circle, and his betrayal at Meridian Raziel knew but the rest of Kain's long life was a mystery.

"I was several months dead and tired of being alone," Kain said, stepping into the room proper. Absently, he trailed fingertips over the remains of the bed frame. "Vorador was wary of me, but he suffered my presence. All the better to monitor me."

"He was afraid of you? But he was an elder though, and you a fledgeling?" Raziel knew little of Vorador, only that he was an old vampire who had assisted Kain in the circle's destruction before becoming involved in Kain's first attempt to take Nosgoth. Kain snorted at his comment.

"I have never been typical for our kind," Kain said. "Days old and I was tearing my way through the land's most powerful wizards. Hardly typical for a fledgeling if you will recall your own early days." Raziel huffed, remembering his own youth. He had been little more than a silent babe, reliant on his Sire for his every need. Kain it seemed was far more independent. It relieved Raziel to infer that Kain was the odd one in this situation, not himself. "Vorador knew what I would become, he probably knew what I was already. The bastard was tight-lipped about it, though."

"So," Raziel smiled. "You grew up here."

"No, I grew up in…" Kain started Raziel shook his head.

"You were a fledgeling here," Raziel said, still grinning.

"Why does that fact amuse you?" Kain looked perplexed.

"Because it's odd to think of you as less than you are now, as someone who had to be taught," Raziel laughed quietly to himself at anyone teaching Kain anything. He felt a sudden surge of pity for Vorador. Kain was 'God' it was true, but Raziel knew that 'God' was stubborn, hard-headed and argumentative. Teaching him must have been a test of the teacher patience at the very least.

"Odd," Kain said. "Also inaccurate, most of the power I hold I learned to control on my own. I honed skills with and through others, as all fledglings do, but no one taught me how to do anything."

"Vorador taught you to turn into a wolf," Raziel snorted, imagining that lesson.

"He did bloody not," Kain said. "Vorador was not my sire, he tolerated me because he knew I was too dangerous to run around unchecked, he did not baby me."

"You make yourself sound like a mad beast," Raziel said, losing his humour.

"I supposed to him I was," Kain said. "An unchecked fledgeling more capable than some elders."

"Now your boasting," Raziel said.

"Is it boasting if it's accurate?" Kain frowned. "Vorador had several fledglings well older than I, many disliked me, saw me as a young ankle-biter who didn't know his place."

"That sounds more accurate," Raziel smiled to let his sire know he was teasing. His smile widened when Kain gave him a dry look but did not comment or chide him. Raziel knew that he was the only one who could get away with being cheeky, the only one allowed to do a lot of things. His pride swelled as it always did when Kain singled him out for special treatment or allowances.

"One tried to put me in my place shortly after my arrival, a woman several centuries my elder. She tried to put me down." Kain turned away from Raziel to look out a hole in the wall that might have been a window once.

"Unsuccessfully I assume?" Raziel said. Kain shrugged.

"I suppose I did not escape unharmed, but she did not escape at all."

"You killed her for a dominance display?" Raziel said.

"Not intentionally," Kain said, turning to face his fledgeling. "I was angry that she would attempt to subjugate me, that she chose to try and 'teach' her lesson in front of an audience to humble me. So, I used magic to deter her."

"And that killed her?" Raziel said.

"I might have torn her soul from her flesh, a fatal spell for most, so yes."

"Vorador must have been mad," Raziel said. "He didn't kick you out?"

"No," Kain smirked. "The old bastard was an odd one. He seemed impressed more than angry. I assumed the woman had lost favour, and he appreciated my removing her and establishing my place in the hierarchy amongst his children."

"Your place," Raziel repeated.

"I would say I sent a simple message of what would happen to those who tried to challenge me," Kain smirked.

"Oh," Raziel said.

"He was bold too," Kain continued. "He saw what I was capable of yet still attempted to kick me down when I was out of line, he managed it a few times, though never without injury." Kain's tone was wistful. A figurative lightbulb went off in Raziel's mind.

"You miss him!" Raziel blurted. "You miss Vorador."

"He was a decadent old degenerate," Kain snapped but stopped himself and Raziel saw the irritation wash out of his sire in a long breath. "But I suppose I miss fighting with him." Unexpectedly, Raziel felt a pang of envy for the long-dead elder. He had shared a part of his Sires life Raziel could only guess at. He said nothing. Kain finished his slow circuit of the room and headed out into the corridor. Raziel followed.

"It's not like you to be nostalgic," Raziel said as they walked away from the old ruined bedroom.

"I didn't bring you here to tell you about my past, but as I was here, I thought it wouldn't hurt to revisit the place I called home for such a long time." Kain continued on, leading Raziel downstairs and over further rubble and wreckage. "I brought you here to help me retrieve something."

**End Chapter Three**

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

For information on published works and upcoming projects, release dates, as well as weekly blogs, check out www . katiemariewriter . co . uk

ac


	4. Chapter 4

**Boredom**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic; it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

* \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ *

**Chapter Four**

"It was around here somewhere," Kain was muttering and had been for the last several minutes. Raziel followed resolutely, absently looking around the ruined mansion that had once been his Sires home.

"Why did you bring me here?" Raziel said. Kain did not answer immediately.

"Honestly," he said after a long moment, slowing his pace. "I was bored."

"Bored," Raziel repeated, unimpressed.

"Initially, I was going to bring you here and see if you could successfully manage a pursuit in this terrain."

"You were going to have me chase you around this place because you were bored?" Raziel raised both eyebrows. There were days when he could not understand his Sire, usually because Kain's schemes were unexpected, almost ineffable until they were complete. But sometimes he didn't understand because his Sire was mental, though he'd never say that out loud.

"Who said anything about you chasing me?" Kain pushed aside a fallen door frame and continued on through the ruined mansion.

"I was chasing you if you recall," Raziel said.

"I was leading you here, the 'chase' hadn't started yet," Kain smirked at his eldest.

"So, you were going to tear around this… hazardous place forcing me to flee you just to see if I could do it."

"I wasn't expecting the damage to the mansion to be this severe, but ultimately yes," Kain said not looking back. Raziel shivered, it was not the first time his Sire had 'trained' him by trying to kill him and Raziel was glad Kain seemed to have changed his mind. The idea of fleeing Kain in the place while his Sire threw god knows what kind of magic and brute force his way was a chilling thought. There was no way he would have left this place uninjured.

"I'm glad you changed your mind," Raziel said. Kain shrugged.

"On arriving I remembered something that I left here that will probably be more useful than tormenting you," Kain said. Raziel snorted a laugh.

"At least you admit that your goal was to torment me and had no benefit to me," he said, grinning.

"Learning to fight me is a benefit to you," Kain whispered. Raziel didn't like the way he said that Kain's voice sounded like his thoughts were far away, somewhere off in a place Raziel could not reach. Kain had sometimes spoken of events that had not happened yet only for them to come to pass and often when he did so it was with that tone. Raziel shivered again.

"I don't want to fight you, at least not properly," he said.

"I'd kill you," Kain said without preamble. "You aren't ready to fight me properly."

"I don't want to do it at all," Raziel stressed.

"Come now, I thought you enjoyed the games," Kain smirked back at him. "You always seemed to." Raziel struggled for a moment with his words.

"Games are fine, fun even until you take things too far and I end up in bits," Kain snorted softly at the comment, Raziel ignored it. "But when you say properly, it sounds like something that is not a game. I don't want that."

"It is a pity that the world does not listen to what you want, Raziel," Kain said. "But be silent for a moment if you can," Raziel ignored the jibe. "I need to think a moment." Kain had paused at an intersection. Raziel stood beside him and tried to push dark thoughts of having to fight his Sire one day aside.

Why would Kain be training him to fight him, did Kain worry that it would be necessary one day? Why would it be necessary for them to fight? Raziel often joked to himself that Kain was mad, but was he really? Did he worry that one day he might lose his mind? Raziel shook himself and tried again to stop his thoughts from running away from him. Kain made a decision and started down a hallway.

To distract himself, Raziel looked around the ruined mansion and tried to imagine what it must have been like when it had been whole. Much like his own clan grounds, perhaps, though more opulent by the looks of things. Another cold thought ran through him and he stopped. Kain continued on for a moment before noticing his eldest had frozen. Turning, he raised an eyebrow.

"What happened here?" Raziel said, his voice struggling to go above a whisper. "If you were here, Vorador was here, his children where all here but now..." he gestured at the surrounding ruin.

"Time," Kain sighed. "Time happened, in more ways than one."

"You say time did this?" Raziel snorted. "What did they just stop cleaning one day and things got out of hand?"

"Not quite," Kain said. "There was an attack, well, over one, one of them was me."

"You did this?" Raziel couldn't stop the revulsion from showing on his face.

"No," Kain snapped. "But I did some damage, no structural damage but enough that when another attack came soon after Vorador was short of numbers. Rebuilding was difficult."

"Oh," Raziel said, Kain shrugged and turned to continue his search. Raziel followed.

"When I came here, it was not just for the company of my kind, it was to plan the conquest of Nosgoth. Our numbers increased, and they carried some repairs out but it was not a priority. A lot of the repairs were rush jobs and when we left the mansion, we never came back. I imagine that the structural damage done weakened the building enough that the weather and time did the rest."

"Sill to think time could do this," Raziel said. "You all left this place? It was your home."

"It wasn't my home," Kain said. "It was a harbour in a storm, one that was useful for a time but once we stopped skulking in shadows, it was no longer useful and was abandoned."

"I can't imagine abandoning the sanctuary, Raziel said.

"Funny that you say the sanctuary and not your own clan grounds," Kain muttered.

"The clan grounds," Raziel stumbled over the wreckage, following as Kain led them into what may have been a library, or perhaps a gallery. "I spent more time in the sanctuary, it feels more like home." Kain said nothing. Instead, once he emerged into the library proper, he headed to the fireplace and started clearing away rubble.

Soon the hearthstone was revealed. With a demonstration of strength, Kain lifted the stone and beneath were several items. Kain looked pleased with himself.

"I found this shortly after arriving, I think Vorador had these little cubby holes scattered all over the mansion. I found a couple with typical treasure inside, gems and whatnot, outdated currency. This one was empty, so I purloined it."

"You're looking for money?" Raziel said. Kain gave him a look of disdain. "You've not been forthcoming about our new reason for being here," Raziel said after withering under the intensity of the look.

"Fair," Kain said after a moment.

"I assume you were not distracted from tormenting me by recounting your infancy in this place," Raziel said.

"You assume correctly I left something here that I think you would appreciate."

"oh? For me?" Raziel stepped forward and leaned over Kain's shoulder to see what was resting in the secret place. Several old books, that would probably disintegrate when touched, a pouch with what Raziel assumed would be money inside and a sword. Kain lifted the blade out.

"It is not as impressive as the Reaver, but it is formidable. Formidable enough that I kept it handy after acquiring the Reaver blade."

"It looks old," Raziel said.

"It is, I'm not sure how old," Kain said. "It will need some care to be restored to its former glory, but swing it now. It should still hold its purpose."

Raziel took his stance to swing the blade, Kain stopped him and pointed him away from the remains of the books and shelves. He smirked but said nothing.

Raziel swung the blade and watched as it sparked. Frowning, he glanced at Kain, who gestured for him to continue. Raziel swung again, this time the blade sparked sooner, the handle heated to a comforting warmth.

"Put some effort into it," Kain grumbled. Raziel glared briefly and swung the blade hard.

He dropped it when fire roared over the blade, sounding like a demon from the pits of hell.

"Holy shit!" Raziel yelped, he coughed and tried to recover his stance. Kain lifted the blade and grinned at him. He picked up the sword.

"Flame sword, it will serve you well," Kain offered the blade to Raziel and absently scooped the remains of the cache into a pile, tore up some carpet and used it to bind the items into a bundle easier to carry.

"You came all this way to give me a sword,"

"It's an excellent sword," Kain snapped.

"Certainly," Raziel swung the blade again. "but it surprises me."

"That I would give my eldest gifts?" Kain smirked.

"That you would do so so easily," Raziel smiled. "Normally there's a test beforehand." Kain shrugged. "With a weapon like this, I think we could spar on a little more favourable ground." Raziel couldn't help the rush of excitement that roared through him, all thoughts of fighting his sire for real gone. Now the idea of sparring with Kain again thrilled him. He might stand a chance of winning next time.

"Don't get carried away," Kain said.

**End Fic**

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

For information on published works and upcoming projects, release dates, as well as weekly blogs, check out www . katiemariewriter . co . uk


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